An Unexpected Detour
by niennavalier
Summary: Bilbo Baggins has seen some odd and fantastical things while on his adventure, meeting interesting people and travelling to distant lands. That much he knew was true. But this? Elves and orcs were one thing, but magic and wizards and witches? They were another story entirely.


**So here we have a short crossover between The Hobbit and Harry Potter! This was originally written for 's contest, but I decided to post it here as well since nothing came of that. It was actually really entertaining to write, but I apologize if anybody seems OOC at all. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this, and reviews would be highly valued!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or The Hobbit, unfortunately. I only own the plotline of this story and nothing more.**

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An Unexpected Detour

"Are you absolutely certain we aren't lost?" Bilbo questioned again for the umpteenth time to which Thorin scowled, utterly tired of their burglar's constant questions. Ever since they set foot in Mirkwood, the Halfling had continued his inquiries, even more so after their way grew dark and their journey long. However, even the Dwarf Prince had to admit, he could not recall the Elven realm to be so expansive, but without Gandalf to advise him otherwise, the Company would venture on further until they reached an exit to from this land. And such a passage could not come sooner; he had no desire to face the elves, much less their traitorous king. "Thorin?" the hobbit squeaked.

Not bothering to turn, the dwarf prince shot back sharply, "I can assure you, Master Baggins, that we are perfectly fine!" At that he shoved aside an offending tree branch, revealing a large clearing, or, more likely, the long awaited way out of that cursed forest. What they didn't expect was the elaborate gothic castle standing a good distance away. While it lacked the elegance of the Citadel of Minas Tirith and the grandeur of Erebor, it instead somehow radiated a sort of raw power across the lands, a force that prompted every member of the Company to shiver slightly at the surprise.

It was unnatural, that was for sure.

At that very moment, a burst of light flared up, partly obscured behind the trees three hundred yards to their right, still with enough intensity to warm their cheeks and illuminate the rocky plot of land staring them in the face. Unsurprisingly, Bilbo could not comprehend any type of connection between the two seemingly unrelated sights, but the sudden knowing glint that lit itself in each dwarven eye told him otherwise. As if by an unspoken order, thirteen dwarves marched simultaneously to the diminutive, yet mountainous, geography, a single hobbit following behind and sputtering unintelligibly.

"Umm, Fili, Kili?" he managed, catching up to the youngest members of their little group. They were Heirs of Durin after all, and they had been kind and welcoming enough to him on occasions when others had not; perhaps they could and would be willing to give him an explanation. "Where exactly are we going now?"

"Exploring. There are bound to be caves in there for sure, and who knows what we might find!" Kili offered unhelpfully, too excited to fully notice Bilbo's plight.

"And, might I ask why? I don't think Gandalf intended for us to go this way."

"But why not? Did you not see the flames?" Fili began explaining more thoroughly, being more perceptive than his younger brother. "There must be a dragon in these parts, so the hoard is surely nearby as well. And what would Gandalf's problem be with us finding a bit more gold before reaching Erebor?"

Bilbo opened his mouth to try and answer, but instead chose not to and continued following his companions in silence. The dwarves apparently took this as some kind of good omen, and he was not exactly in any place to argue. He knew the dwarves would not merely pass an opportunity to uncover gold; they had proven as much in the troll hoard. Besides that, Thorin would unquestioningly deny any requests Bilbo might make as it was obvious the haughty dwarf despised his simple presence.

Personally, Bilbo did not want to tempt fate again; it had happened far too often already for his taste, than you very much, and there was still another dragon they had yet to face. Not that his opinion mattered, though.

The dwarves were already picking through the stones, the frustration growing ever more evident on their faces as neither shard of gem nor flake of gold was found. All the while, Bilbo stood off to the side, shifting his weight from one foot to another and wringing out his hands, dearly hoping this venture of theirs would not backfire in the end. His anxiety was not helped as Dwalin emerged from one of the shallow caves, growling to no one in particular, "What kind of dragon doesn't hoard gold?!"

"Maybe its hidden somewhere else," Ori spoke up innocently, instantly cowering under the other's fierce glare.

"Then where do you suggest it would be?!" Dwalin spat at the naïve dwarf. "There's nowhere else it could be hidden!"

"Be calm; if there is a hoard nearby we will find it." Balin appeared to placate his now bristling brother. "And it would not do us well to alert the dragon to our presence." Dwalin reluctantly yielded, but he was not the only problem. The dwarves were, on the whole, a rather raucous people, as evident by the unrestrained arguments or celebrations which broke out near constantly at a level which almost made Bilbo cringe. It was quite a miracle that he could make out the sound of distant but approaching footsteps, a noise which even snapped Thorin out of the regal stillness with which he had surveyed his fellow dwarves.

"Someone is coming," he said in that deep, commanding tone, but instead of motioning to leave, as Bilbo would have preferred, he called, "Prepare to fight!"

The dwarves widened their stance, and at that moment, sparks of colorful whizzed past them, luckily missing in each instance though a particularly nasty looking red one nearly stung the hobbit on the arm. Entirely taken aback, none moved forward to counterattack and a lucky thing too.

A group of young men and women rushed out toward them, long, unusual black robes swirling around their feet and wielding nothing more than… sticks? They even wove them around, yelling nonsense like the hobbit children would when Gandalf visited the Shire and entertained them with tricks. Bilbo would have been inclined to laugh if not for the fact that the humans flung out the sticks, making more menacing, colored lights erupt from the ends of the apparent wands.

Without hesitation, the Halfling led the retreat, fleeing from the clearing and back to the safety of the trees, relieved that the dwarves had elected to follow and, for once, leave their pride behind as engaging in a battle against magic would undoubtedly end badly. However, as the Company fled, Bilbo began to wonder at something Gandalf had said. Had he not said that there were only five wizards in Middle Earth? Was he lying? After all, there had been far more than five of these wizards chasing after them, more than ten even! Shaking his head, Bilbo decided on something; if he ever made it out of this quest alive, this was one story he would never tell. It just made no sense.

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Little did the Company know, their actions in the strange land did not go unnoticed. Gandalf sighed, looking out of one of the towers of Hogwarts Castle as the dwarves and hobbit made their escape into the trees, safe from the harm of the young wizards. He had simply come here for counsel as the threat of Smaug and the possible rise of Sauron had weighed heavily on his mind. Since their meeting in Rivendell, Saruman no longer seemed to be the wisest of them any longer, so Gandalf had turned to another friend he had made during his travels. What he had not expected was the arrival of Thorin and Company in the wizard world. "I am so sorry for what has happened," Dumbledore apologized, having seen the spectacle for himself. "But we are on the eve of another event for the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and it is hard enough to control the dragons as it is. Another disturbance would not have done us well."

"No, my friend, it is not your fault. If any it is mine, for I should have tried to keep them away from this link between our worlds, but," Gandalf turned to the other wizard, "none could have foreseen their coming here, and nobody turned out worse for wear, so there is no reason to place blame on anyone."

"True," Dumbledore conceded, now looking out towards the spot where the two of them knew the unexplained portal between their worlds existed. "But I do believe we should do something about that gateway. It would do us no good for Death Eaters to somehow find their way into Middle Earth or for orcs to discover the grounds of Hogwarts. Wouldn't you agree?"


End file.
